161st Bergedorf Round Table

“Europe at the Crossroads: Challenges and Chances of the Refugee Crisis”

Photo: Marc Darchinger

Berlin, 11-13 March 2016

Confronting the largest influx of refugees since World War II, Europe is facing a dramatic turning point. Endeavors for a common solution have often been trumped by unilateral national action. In light of decreasing European solidarity, the search for answers to the crisis has damaged more than just the EU’s credibility. The European project is being shaken to its core and is threatening to fall apart. Consequently, the current critical situation forces introspection on what holds Europe together and how European integration should be designed in future.

The 161st Bergedorf Round Table considered the question of how the refugee crisis is altering Europe and what challenges – but also opportunities might arise from this. How has migration changed Europe in the past and how will it impact the future? How can we achieve a European refugee and asylum policy and what should it look like? What constitutes an appropriate response to an increasingly volatile neighborhood that is forcing more and more people to leave their homes and attempt the perilous trip to Europe? And what are visions of the European project in 2025?

The participants of the 161st Bergedorf Round Table consisted of 35 high-ranking representatives of politics and administration as well as intellectuals, publicists and members of civil society from Germany, other EU member states and neighboring states. The opening dinner was hosted by Federal President Joachim Gauck.